


Just 'Cause We're A Little Older

by why_didnt_i_get_any_soup



Series: The Winter of Our Youth [2]
Category: Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, M/M, Secrets, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 06:03:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11030148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/why_didnt_i_get_any_soup/pseuds/why_didnt_i_get_any_soup
Summary: Tony is being suspicious. What is he up to?





	Just 'Cause We're A Little Older

“Which color do you like better? Ecru or the robin’s egg?” Tony came up out of the blue while Rhodey was surfing the web on his Stark Tablet.

They’d managed to make the Malibu house pretty liveable, considering Rhodey was on indefinite medical leave and Tony...had nothing else to do, so they stayed in, licking their wounds, as it were. It seemed like the rest of the Avengers were lying low anyway.

“I guess I like the robin’s egg one.” Rhodey shrugged, just barely looking up.

“You didn’t even look at them,” Tony whined.

“One’s white and one’s blue. I like the blue one better.”

“Rhodey, it’s not white. It’s _ecru_.”

“Tony, I really...don’t care. What’s it for anyway?”

“An event…” he muttered.

“What was that?” Rhodey closed the tablet and set it aside so he could sit up and square Tony in his line of sight.

“I said it’s for an event.”

“What event?”

“A wedding…”

“A _wedding?_ How did I not know about  _a wedding?_ ”

Tony just shrugged. “It's not a big deal,” he said.

Rhodey sighed and dropped it. “Fine. But yeah, I like the blue.”

 

…

 

Rhodey was navigating the CHAiR into the kitchen to get some lunch when he saw Tony at the table that was covered in flower arrangements. Tony obviously heard the whirring of the chair and spun to greet Rhodey.

“I think I've narrowed it down to the calla lilies. There are three kinds I like.” Tony explained.

Rhodey steered toward the table to pull up next to him.

“White,” Tony pointed to the white ones, “yellow,” he pointed, “or purple.”

Rhodey looked at all the flowers on the table. They kind of just looked like...flowers. And he had to admit, he didn't love the smell of them too much. It reminded him of hospitals and funeral parlors.

“Which do you prefer?” Tony prompted.

“Uh...if I had to pick, I think just white would be best, right? ‘Cause brides wear white and it would match the wedding,” he paused for a second, “on second thought, probably want something that would contrast a little. So yellow.”

“Final answer?” Tony asked, humor in his voice.

“Final answer,” Rhodey replied back, chuckling.

“Well, then that's settled. Let's have some lunch.”

 

…

 

“We’re having a fitting today, Rhodey,” Tony called from the closet, obviously choosing that time so he wouldn't have to look Rhodey in the face when he said it.

Rhodey was annoyed and wanted to hop off the bed to follow Tony into the closet to ask what the hell the fitting was for but he had to admit he was quite comfortable and not ready to wake up just yet.

“A fitting for what?” he called out, voice still a bit groggy from sleep.

“For the wedding, obviously!” Tony replied, coming back to the threshold of the closet.

“You know,” Rhodey popped one eye open to stare Tony down, “You still haven’t told me whose wedding it is.”

At that, Tony turned and ducked back into the closet. He definitely said something but it was muffled in the rows of clothes.

“Tony?” Rhodey called, but he had already closed his eye again, “Tony?” he called much weaker and finally decided to give up, letting sleep take him back under.

 

…

 

Rhodey saw Tony out on the patio through the sliding glass door, and he made his way out there on his cane. He was having a good day and his pain was really quite manageable.

He hadn't realized at first, but Tony was on the phone, laughing boisterously and sipping off what looked to be a fruity cocktail. Rhodey came around and sat next to him, mouthing why he didn't get one. Tony gestured for him to wait a second.

“Hey, Pep, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later.” He said into the phone and hung up.

“That was Pepper?” Rhodey leaned forward, excited. “How come you didn't let me talk to her?”

“I was just talking out some wedding details. It’s almost her bedtime over there anyway.”

“In Italy?”

“Reggio Calabria.” Tony corrected, with an exaggerated Italian accent that Rhodey had to roll his eyes at.

“Okay, ‘Reggio Calabria,’” Rhodey said, doing air quotes, “How’s the pregnancy going, at least?”

“Seems to be good. She’s taking her vitamins and resting a lot.”

“Is she the one getting married?”

Tony gave him a _look_. “That would require her having someone to marry. And it isn’t _me_.”

Rhodey harrumphed, but before he could say anything, Tony interrupted him.

“You want a cocktail?”

Rhodey nodded, “Please.”

“Coming right up!” Tony said and ran back into the house.

Rhodey sighed, realizing he wasn’t getting any answers out of Tony anytime soon.

 

...

 

“All right, Stark, I’ve had just about enough of all this secrecy shit,” Rhodey yelled down the hall as Tony tried to escape. Rhodey wasn't having a great day physically and he wasn't able to really get out of bed yet. “And get me some ibuprofen, please!”

“Sure thing, Boss!” Tony called back and was gone for a while.

In the interim, Rhodey got on his Stark pad and started browsing the news. Finally, Tony came back. He had water in one hand and the pills in the other. Instead of just placing the glass and pills on the bedside table for Rhodey to get to when he was ready and turning to leave, he squatted down so he was eye to eye with Rhodey.

“I am going to tell you what's going on. Today isn't the day. Take your medicine, get some rest. You know where to find me.” Tony said and kissed Rhodey for a good few seconds before finally standing and leaving.

Rhodey wasn't awake much longer after that.

 

…

 

A few days later, Rhodey was feeling better. Feeling like going out, even. He told Tony so.

“Want to go out for lunch?” Tony suggested.

“I’d love that.” Rhodey smiled and gave Tony a quick peck on the lips.

They had this one little place they liked to go to that was a bit down the PCH with good outdoor seating and an excellent menu.

“Malibu Farm?” Tony asked and kissed Rhodey’s cheek.

“You know it,” Rhodey smirked.

“I’ll drive.”

“Yes, you will.”

They took a convertible and enjoyed the silence afforded by the wind as they made their way down the highway along the ocean. The restaurant was mildly crowded, with about a fifteen-minute wait.

They were seated and ordered some cocktails (like adults) and enjoyed the breeze coming off the ocean. It was beautiful and sunny and not too hot. It was perfect. Well, as perfect as it could be for them. Which was perfect really.

Rhodey was leaning back in his seat, enjoying the heat, enjoying Tony’s company when a lull in conversation happened. He knew it was his opportunity to finally get Tony to tell him what had been going on.

“All right, Tony, you can’t run from me now. What’s been going on?”

Tony laughed. “I’ve been planning our wedding.”

“What.” Rhodey wasn’t sure he heard Tony right. “What was that?” he leaned forward.

“I said I’ve been planning our wedding.” He was smirking over the rim of his glass then.

“And you didn’t think to...what? Include me on that? What makes you think I’d even say yes, anyway?”

“Oh, come on, Rhodes. You know we’re practically married anyway, right? I just figured we could do it up a little, have a good vacation, a good ceremony, enjoy the honeymoon we never got when we were young.”

“Jesus Christ.” Rhodey’s chest felt tight. He couldn’t look at Tony then.

“Is that a...no?” Tony’s face was scrunched in anxiety when Rhodey’s eyes flicked to him.

“No, it’s not a no…” Rhodey paused, trying to figure out what he wanted to say, “it’s just that...we’ve never really talked about this before and I feel like we should have.”

“Well, let’s talk about it,” Tony said, his voice wasn’t happy and Rhodey felt so guilty for it.

“Well, I’ve been in love with you for a long time but I never thought this was going to happen. How long were you interested in me?” Rhodey stared out at the ocean, mesmerized by the sparkling waves.

“From the very first second I met you. It was instant. But I thought it wasn’t going to happen. You were my friend but I felt that you wanted to keep me at arm’s length like you were just putting up with me.”

“I was just putting up with you,” Rhodey interjected, joking, his eyes meeting Tony’s for a second.

“Do you see what I’m saying though? I always thought we would get married, grow old together. I didn’t think it would happen in reverse, growing old, then getting married. But I’ve gotten to spend my whole life with you, married or not.”

“What changed?” Rhodey was still watching the waves, unable to peel his eyes away.

“You almost  _died_ , Rhodey,” Tony’s voice wavered a little, “I realized that I could lose you at any second, really, being in this line of work, and I didn’t want to live a life where I wasn’t married to you if that makes sense. It always seemed like inevitable. But the good kind of inevitable.”

Finally, Rhodey couldn’t stay looking away from Tony. He turned to see a watery sheen in Tony’s eyes. Rhodey reached over and took one of Tony’s hands. Tony tried to choke back a sob.

“I wish you had said something sooner,” Rhodey admitted, trying not to cry himself.

“Me too,” Tony said, letting out a half laugh half sob.

Then, Rhodey was surprised when Tony stood and came to Rhodey’s side of the table. Even more so when he got down on a knee, especially knowing Tony’s knees really weren’t all that great, holding one of Rhodey’s hands in his. The restaurant at large was not paying attention to two middle-aged men there for a casual lunch so they didn’t have an audience like some proposals did.

“James Rhodes, you make me a better person and I don’t want to know a life without you. Will you marry me?”

“Of course,” Rhodey responded and Tony jumped up, his knees popping, and kissed Rhodey.

“I love you,” Tony said into Rhodey’s neck.

“I love you, too. Now sit down, ‘cause I think our waiter is coming.” Rhodey smirked and Tony flashed him a smile in answer, moving back to his seat.

The food came in and Tony launched right into all the wedding plans so far.

“It’s going to be beautiful. In a place in Italy that Pep scouted out for us…”

Rhodey couldn’t wait.


End file.
